This extensive remodel project is
located in central Virginia
- a beautiful 70-acre property with undulating hills,
exquisite vistas in Keswick Horse Country outside of Charlottesville.
The 1911 farmhouse cried out for considerable revision, yet the
architectural style suggested an expansion and general esthetic upgrade
without casting aside the farmhouse character. The suggestions by
many locals to “just bulldoze that little farmhouse and build a proper
manor-home were rejected. The original rooms of the farmhouse
were functional and provided
beautiful vistas of the surrounding area. The property included two huge
barns, one for horses and one which could be developed into a
woodworking shop. Near the barn cluster is a two-room guest house, which
was updated and could be used by visiting family and friends.

Scope of Project

The remodel included
the removal of nearly 500 square feet of ill-conceived additions, and
the addition of just over 1000 square feet of new space, including a
Master Suite, powder room, and fourth bedroom upstairs, bringing the
total living area to approximately 4,000 square feet. The new Master
Suite includes a bath, walk-in closet, sitting area and screened porch.
One challenge was to make the new section look as though it belonged to
the original structure, both inside and out. With every design decision
we considered the objective: retain the “farmhouse” character. Just
one example of this involved the brass hinges on the interior doors.
Although much of this brass hardware was replaced with new, we decided
to strip the new brass of the clear lacquer finish and allow it to
tarnish – making it appear to be original. On the exterior, we liked
the uniqueness of the roofline and decided to accentuate and refine it
by adding a standing-seam copper roof, while retaining the overall roof
pitch and outline. The original four rooms of the house were returned to
the 1911 floor plan, turning one of the rooms into a library with
coffered ceilings. In the Dining Room and Music Room we kept the
windows which had been salvaged from a neighbor’s barn by a previous
owner. All the major systems (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and septic)
were replaced and a true chef’s kitchen was integrated into the design.

Numerous trips to
Europe provided the opportunity to collect artistic treasures used
throughout the interior design. A
mixture of French collectibles and art with American color, fabrics, and
furniture were employed. The Library incorporated inside folding shutters for
light control similar to those found at nearby Monticello. On the
exterior - to help with heat and light - operable wooden
shutters were used with custom-made iron hinges and hold-backs similar to those
found throughout Europe. This necessitated the design of a unique
window screen system that allows the exterior shutters to be opened or
closed from within the building. The interior design combined furniture
from the era of the house (Macintosh, Wright, Saarinen, and Stickley)
with contemporary pieces and pumped up the overall freshness with the
use of color.

Beams were added
to the ceiling
which were mimicked in the
direction of the flooring to
give spatial definition to the
sitting area. The
furnishings include Macintosh
Argyle teahouse chairs, Eames
Lounge chair, and a painting by Collene Cox. The bed is from the
Baker Knapp & Tubbs Stickley
collection; linens are by Yves
Delorme. The wall paint is
Victorian Trim from Benjamin
Moore.

The breakfast area is adjacent
to the kitchen. An original
built-in cabinet and fireplace
were kept for their historic
charm. The fireplace chimney was
rebuilt from the mantle up for
safety reasons. The table
pedestals are Italian from Limn,
and wall paper Lee Jofa. Most of the windows in
the house were replaced with Marvin products,
exterior doors by Pella and
interior doors by Gaston &
Wyatt. All screens for the house
were replaced with
hand-stretched bronze mesh - less visible than galvanized
or aluminum.

The dining room is one of the
original four of the house and
nearly square. In keeping with
the historic turn of the century
theme, the dining room chairs
are Frank Lloyd Wright barrel
chair with ICF mohair. The
window treatment fabric is from
Pollack. The
candelabras are from in
Aix-en-Provence; the sconces
from Florence.
Painting is by Jean Duvall.
Walls are painted with Martin Senour Palace Dining Room Pearl
Blue.

The Kitchen was gutted and
redesigned. To maintain the
farmhouse look, the cabinets
were designed with 1920’s period
detailing. The countertops
are granite. Under the window is
a meal preparation station with
a quarter-sawn maple
countertop. The electric oven
and gas cooktop are by Thermador;
tile backsplash is Waterworks
Olde Court Tiles with Chicago
Faucets pot filler. The sink and
filtered hot/cold water
dispenser are by Franke with a
HansaAmerica Hansaronda faucet;
the refrigerator is by Sub Zero,
the stools are from De Sousa
Hughes. We added an opening
skylight for ventilation and
natural light.

The Library - where once
there was a warren of little
rooms, there is now a
gracious library with
coffered ceiling.
Parterriers are made of
taffeta silk from Dogwood;
the gold
hold-backs are from a Paris
antique shop. The lounge
chair is Donghia Luciano
covered in Hines and Co. The
painting over the new
fireplace mantel is by
Charlottesville artist
Philip Geiger, and the
custom fireplace screen by
Keswick blacksmith Stokes of
England. The paint is Martin
Senour drawn from historical
colors at colonial
Williamsburg, bookcases and
trim Pelham Grey Light,
fireplace Everard Chamber
White, ceiling Palace
Ballroom Ceiling White.

The Master Bathroom was
completely replaced and
updated with a classic look that still
spoke of the farmhouse.
The free-standing
vanity cabinet is made of
hand-rubbed Pennsylvania
cherry and features
traditional raised panel
doors, and dovetailed
drawers with Häfele
full-extension slides to
insure practicality.
Hardware on the vanity is
nickel plated by Horton
Brass. The polished nickel
faucets are Julia by
Waterworks; the sinks
American Standard. The
countertop, tub surround,
and shower shelf are Vermont
soapstone. The towels are by
Frette found in Florence.

In keeping with the period
nature of the farmhouse, the
Powder Room was implemented with bead board
and wainscot painted
pink and the walls covered with
floral wallpaper by Scalamandré, reminiscent of the
French-inspired garden. The
faucet is polished nickel from
France. Both faucet and pedestal
sink were supplied by
Waterworks.

The Music Room features
a custom designed sofa made by Kroll
Furniture Inc. with Pollack
fabric, Eero Saarinen Blue table
and chairs, Donghia Grande
Soleil and an antique Sarapi
rug. All window treatments in
the home are fabricated by Susan Lind
Chastain Fine Sewing Workshop of
San Francisco; in the Music room
the fabric is from Manuel Canovas. The wall color is
Russell House Green Light by
Martin Senour; ceiling Palace
Ballroom Ceiling White, also by
Martin Senour which helped to
visually increase the room
height.

Landscape

An
extensive landscape revision turned the grounds near the
house into a Provence-inspired garden designed by
Rebecca Frischkorn of Charlottesville, Virginia. Her
design incorporated extensive use of tall grasses to
enhance the feeling of intimacy within the Provençal
garden area. A major landscape challenge was insuring
proper drainage since the soil was mostly an impervious
mix of shale & clay, and the site was formerly a parking
area that had been compacted with vehicle traffic over
decades. The hardscape improvements included extensive trenches for improved drainage, new
topsoil, and honeydust walkways with steel edging. The
overhead power lines were moved underground, the
driveway reshaped, and the garage was essentially
pivoted 180 degrees via the relocation of the overhead
doors from the south to the north side of the building.
Over 100 trees were planted including an alleé of London
Plane trees. A French-inspired armillary sphere and a
stone fountain from Kenneth Lynch & Sons are central
focal points in the garden. A pergola was added on the
garage side of the garden, and a semicircle of tall
stone columns at the opposite side gives the garden
symmetry and balance. The family entrance was enhanced
with a dormer on the second floor over the new entry
along with the addition of a simulated limestone walk
from the garage.

The
view from the Study Balcony Winter and Fall.

Summary

After much planning and effort, the objectives of the
remodel were achieved: Stonehorse Farm was transformed into a tasteful mélange of
European sophistication & sensibilities blended with the
relaxed and homespun nature of an American farmhouse.
This has been a rewarding project. Stonehorse Farm is a
welcoming spot that has made parties and gatherings with
family and friends effortless and thoroughly enjoyable.